Elinor Ben-Menachem, MD, PhD, is from Los Angeles graduated from UCLA, then studied abroad in Uppsala, Sweden. Staying on, she completed medical school and her residency in neurology at Sahlgren Hospital, University of Gothenburg. Dr. Ben-Menachem obtained a Fellowship in Epilepsy at the VA/UCLA. Returning to Sweden, Dr. Ben-Menachem earned her Ph.D. and subsequent Professorship at the University of Gothenburg, Sahlgren Hospital
Dr. Ben-Menachem’s thesis was on the topic “Vigabatrin in Epilepsy – An irreversible GABA-transaminase inhibitor.” Her work on CSF and the transport of drugs through the blood brain barrier and its effects on neurotransmitters and proteins continued. She developed a successful clinical research program to find therapies that will help refractory epilepsy patients who are not candidates for resective epilepsy surgery and is one of the most cited author on the subject of vagus nerve stimulation.
Dr. Ben-Menachem is active in the ILAE and American Epilepsy Society for 40 years. She has recently served as a board member of the AES and is now serving on the Nominating Committee of the AES. She has received the Ambassador for Epilepsy award from the ILAE, the AES Service Award, the Lifetime Accelerator Award from the Epilepsy Foundation of America in 2017, The Founders Award from the AES in 2022 and the Honorary lifetime award from the European Academy of Neurology Society in 2024., Dr. Ben-Menachem served as Chief Editor of Acta Neurologica Scandinavica since 2001 until 2022.